A thousand years ago the Darkness came--a time of violence and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they kept the madness at bay with "temple magic," eliminating the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.

Orah and Nathaniel, have grew up in a tiny village, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the status quo. When Orah is summoned for a "teaching"—the brutal coming-of-age ritual that binds the young to the Light—Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a secret that launches them on a journey to find the forbidden keep, where a truth from the past might unleash the potential of their people, but may also cost them their lives.Review Quotes "A tightly executed first fantasy installment that champions the exploratory spirit." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The plot unfolds easily, swiftly, and never lets the readers' attention wane... After reading this one, it will be a real hardship to have to wait to see what happens next." -- Feathered Quill Book Reviews

"... a fantastic tale of a world that seeks a utopian existence, well ordered, safe and fair for everyone... also an adventure, a coming-of-age story of three young people as they become the seekers, travelers in search of a hidden treasure - in this case, a treasure of knowledge and answers... a tale of futuristic probabilities... on a par with Huxley's Brave New World." -- Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

"The quality of its intelligence, imagination, and prose raises The Children of Darkness to the level of literature." -- Awesome Indies

"...a solid fantasy-dystopian offering, one that is not merely written by some author looking for a middling entry to the genre, but excellently crafted by an artist looking to make his mark... A timely novel beautiful in the simplicity of its writing and elegant in its underlying complexity." -- Eduardo Aduna for Readers' Favorite

"I found the world-building surrounding the people of the Ponds so descriptive that I was transported to their homes and way of life, and when the trio embarked on their journey, I could clearly picture them every step of the way. If you're looking for a classic fantasy quest wrapped in a fascinating, dark archaic world, then this novel will not disappoint you." -- K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author Interview:

Out of all the characters in your book, who is your favorite to write? I used to say that my favorite was Kailani from The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky. She’s so mysterious, but at the same time wise, naïve and vulnerable. Now that I’m nearly done with the Seekers series, I think I’d say Orah. She smart and passionate in her beliefs, and a natural leader, yet she always doubts herself and questions her decisions—a trait that would be a good thing in some of our real world leaders.

Is your book part of a series, and if so, how many will there be?The Children of Darkness is Book one of the Seekers dystopian trilogy. The second book, The Stuff of Stars, has just published.

What are you working on now?I’m working on the finale of the Seekers series, to be titled The Light of Reason. If all goes as planned, it will come out in November 2016.

Who do you look up to as a writer?There are so many I love that have influenced my writing. I have always read cross genre. When I became an avid reader in my teens, I devoured fantasy and science fiction, but also literary fiction. I loved the works of Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, and of course, Tolkien, but also of Hemingway and Steinbeck.

Is there anything you find particularly challenging in your writing?Writing a novel may be one of the hardest things you can do, so it’s all challenging. But nothing is harder than writing the first draft. I don’t yet know the characters that well and, while I have a general sense of where the story is heading, I can take a wrong turn at any point and have to redo months of work. When I hit that point where I’m terrified the story has gone off the rails, I take a break for a few days. Almost always, it’s not as bad as I feared, and I can fix the problem with a modest bit of work.

Once I’m beyond the first draft, the rest becomes just hard work. I do lots of revisions, but I find it easier to fix the story than to write it from scratch.

There’s a reason why Hemingway once said: “Write drunk, edit sober!”

Did you learn anything from writing your books and what was it?Learning to be a good writer is a lifelong task, and perfection is a high bar. Stay humble and keep trying to improve.

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?To each and every reader, we’re partners in the story. I use my craft, and you use your imagination to flesh out your own unique version of the story. If I’ve caused you to re-experience some of the most intense moments of your life, then I’ve succeeded as an author.

To quote Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Do you write by hand or on a computer?In my youth, I used a typewriter, carbon paper and white-out (for those who remember). Thank goodness, never again. With my constant need to revise and my poor typing skills, it’s the word processor for me.

Do you plot your books completely before hand or do you let your imagination flow whilst in the writing process?I usually conceive of a new book as a series of images and scenes, daydreaming about them while I finish work on the prior novel. I maintain a notes file for the new novel and do a rough draft of these scenes—a very rough draft, what some people call "scaffolding" or “riff writing” like improvisation in jazz. The file can get pretty chaotic. Every now and then I make a feeble attempt to organize it (when I’m finishing up a novel, I try to avoid distractions and stay focused on getting it out to the publisher). By the time I’m ready to start the new novel, I usually have about 20,000 words of loosely connected prose—20-25% of the eventual novel but probably 80% of its essence. I take a couple of months to read, edit and organize that file into a dense plot outline. Then I start a new file from scratch, cutting and pasting prose as appropriate.

It’s a messy process in the early going, but unlike those who start with a more organized outline, I need that amount of writing to get to know the characters and live in the story.

The urge to write first struck at age sixteen when working on a
newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may
have been the wild night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by
the northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the
newsletter's editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was
inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the
fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he
religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his
twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a
career, in the process -- and without prior plan -- becoming a
well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several
successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to
write returned.

In this new stage of his life, he's published
Along the Watchtower in June, 2013 and The Daughter of the Sea and the
Sky in May, 2014. His next book, The Children of Darkness, is the first
of the Seekers series, a dystopian trilogy, and will be published in
June, 2015.

David and his wife split their time between Cape Cod,
Florida and anywhere else that catches their fancy. He no longer limits
himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the
invention of the word processor.

Dr. Matthew MacAulay is a facial transplant surgeon at a prestigious New York hospital. When his friend and mentor, Tom Grabowski, dies under mysterious circumstances, Matthew uncovers his friend’s secret: a new technique that allows perfect facial transplants. No incisions, no scars. Tom was able to accomplish this monumental feat with the help of Alice, a supercomputer robot with almost human abilities. While trying to find the people responsible for murdering Tom, Matthew realizes he is the prime suspect. He must flee for his life with the help of Dr. Sarah Larsson, a colleague and reluctant helper, who has a secret of her own, and Alice, who helps them make sense of a baffling series of seemingly unrelated events. The clues carry Matthew and Sarah around the world. They stumble onto a sinister plot of monumental proportions that leads Matthew all the way to the White House.

The Face Transplant is a powerful medical suspense thriller of the first order. The novel was written by a surgeon who weaves politics, medicine, and espionage into a tightly paced, intelligent thriller.

~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

Guaarrr. It sounds like water draining from a very large bathtub, through a very large hole. I just killed myself. I just killed the patient. Dr. Matthew MacAulay looks down on the operating room table at the gaunt, graying man. Matthew quickly scans the operating theater. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see the short wide man in he observation area.

I just killed myself, Sarah, and Amanda.

They have been hijacked into performing a face transplant. The patient is unknown. Mr. Glock, the short wide man, hovers in the far end of the operating room. He made it clear that if the patient did not survive, the three of them would be following him in short order. The 9 mm Glock with a silencer on the end gave credence to his profanity-laced words of warning.

Matthew looks across the operating room table at Amanda Soto, forty-two, an American of Spanish ancestry. She has been his scrub nurse, assisting him in the operating room for the last three years. Divorced, one child.

It will take a few more seconds for the monitors to tell everybody what Matthew already knows. Amanda already knows. She is right across the table. She saw him use the robotic arm to dissect the vessel and mistakenly cut the large artery in the neck. An operating room nurse of Amanda’s experience has seen it all. When Matthew looks into her eyes, they flash ever so quickly an acknowledgement that it is all over. Instead of any words, she quietly unclamps the suction. Now a dull hiss fills the air. To the casual observer, or the short wide man holding a 9 mm Glock pistol in his fat stubby hands, nothing really has changed. Amanda, anesthetist Dr. Sarah Larsson, and Dr. Matthew MacAulay act as if all is going well.

Matthew cannot help but glance over to the man with the 9 mm Glock. In his mind he names him Mr. Glock. Adrenaline surges through Matthew’s body and time slows. The short wide man, Mr. Glock, has gray eyes. Pale, gray eyes. Very pale, almost tired. Matthew remembers reading somewhere that people with gray eyes have the best visual acuity. They make the best marksmen, the best assassins. He wonders if this was true.

~~~~~~~~~~

Author Bio and Links:

R. Arundel is a practising surgeon. This experience brings realism to the story. The novel asks what would happen if a surgeon were to develop the perfect face transplant. This would allow people to have a new face, in essence create a new identity. You can create the perfect double, the perfect Doppelganger.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

All Detective Matt Conley ever wanted was to raise a family in Ocean Park with his stunning and ambitious wife Lisa. When a corpse is found in his church, Matt begins a journey that reveals corruption and decay in his city and deceit in his marriage. As he searches for the murderer of a local businessman, a gang war erupts for control of the city’s drug trade, and the body count rises. With his reluctant new partner, Detective Lloyd Kendricks, Matt weaves his way through the puzzling connections between street gangs, politicians, bikers, and a private kink club.

Will their unlikely alliance be enough to return Matt's beloved hometown to its halcyon days? And will he find the faith he needs to rebuild his crumbling marriage?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

EXCERPTS (Exclusive excerpt):

The whore opened the motel room door, the light snapped on, and Vithu clutched her collar, his fist full of red pleather and fake fur. Samay saw that the tattooed letters on the back of his mentor’s fingers spelled LOVE. The irony wasn’t lost on him—the whore suddenly sported a human-hand necklace that advertised her trade.

She almost escaped before Vithu slammed the door. In fact her hand was flat on the guest instructions—CHECKOUT AT 11:00. ICE MACHINE DOWN THE HALL. Samay and the eleven others, ethereal in a cloud of hash smoke, stood around a bed with a nappy ivory spread and watched Vithu trap the girl for bauk.

Bauk—the Cambodian practice of gang raping a prostitute, was the first initiation rite for the Ocean Park Asian Boyz. Samay found her surprise exciting, delicious, as if she’d stumbled onto her own party. But tonight the party was for him, and they were guaranteed privacy. Two Ocean Park policemen, paid off by Vithu, stood sentry outside the door, easy duty on a slow Monday night.

Seconds later the girl nodded, knowing her choices were rape or a beating—and then rape. Samay was glad. They’d already spent too much time waiting. Smoked a lot of hashish and drank sweet wine. Talked too much about gang fights and Pon, the legendary Asian Boyz gang leader traveling to Ocean Park from Long Beach.

Laughter rippled, surrounding the girl as she stripped with the resignation of a prisoner walking to the gallows. She lay on the sagging mattress. Pale skin peppered with freckles and moles. Samay was first, and though he was a stranger to white women and the company of others to so intimate an act, he had no trouble performing. His friends cheered, congratulated him when he was done, then jockeyed for their place in line. The girl’s musk and sweat mixed with the sweet smoke.

There was trouble once—a question of place in line, booze-fueled threats, shoving. Vithu stepped forward and surprised everyone with a vicious chop to an ear that knocked the troublemaker down and drew blood from a gash on his scalp. The Boyz candidates quieted.

The sex was exciting, but not the way he thought it would be. Camaraderie was the high, the laughter and joy of his new friends, the ones he was pledging his life to.

When Vithu helped himself to the girl and spread his other hand next to her head, Samay saw HATE tattooed on those fingers. Vithu was a strange man.

No matter. This was the greatest night of Samay’s young life.

Bauk was good.

Brotherhood was good.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Michael Walsh attended Boston University, where he became a staffer for the Daily Free Press and earned a degree in journalism. His first professional job was at a public relations and advertising firm, writing press releases that appeared in the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and New England Journal of Engineering. He later became a technical writer, writing and editing jet engine manuals for General Electric Aircraft Engines. GE relocated him to Cincinnati and Florida, where he currently resides. He’s written and studied fiction for years at BU, the University of Cincinnati, and now Jacksonville, where he won the First Coast Writers Festival short story contest and had work published in the UK’s Twisted Tongue and Askew Reviews. He’s an active member of the Bard Society, Florida’s longest-running writers’ workshop.

His five novels and dozens of short stories, most of them richly-layered mysteries, take place in New England. Mike and his wife Jean live in Florida with their three sons.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

This was supposed to go up yesterday, but a glitch caused some issue so I am making sure it is up now.

About the BookTitle: The Children of the BlessingAuthor: Perry MorrisGenre: Fantasy

When key events prophesied thousands of years ago finally take place, those who lust for power will do anything they must to take control—even if that means killing the children of the blessing. The children of the blessing have never met. Renn wanted to be a farmer and Avaris a warrior, but their birth and blessing set an ancient prophecy in motion that promises to shift the balance of power on he continent of Lemuria. The two boy’s dreams and innocence are shattered by those determined to influence the events to come and seize power for themselves. When loved ones are killed and homes destroyed, both boys must flee from horrifying creatures and powerful magic users. Renn has to cross the continent to reach the safety of Elder Island where he can receive training from the Lore Masters; Avaris decides to follow the evil creatures that have ruined his life to caves beneath the Cragg Mountains where the surviving members of his tribe have been forced into slave labor. The Grand Warlock, Kahn Devin, has determined that both boys will either join with him or die.

_______________________________________

Author Bio

I was born and raised in the greater Salt Lake City, Utah area. I am very happily married and have seven wonderful children and one grand-daughter. I work for a large, publically traded, international company in Provo, Utah, where I manage supplier management, procurement and packaging engineering functions.My first exposure to the great world of fantasy literature was, of course, J.R.R Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, when I was fourteen. After that I read the books of Patricia McKillap, Terry Brooks, David Eddings, Stephen R. Donaldson, etc...Currently my favorite author (besides myself--ha ha) is Brandon Sanderson. I love the unique and interesting magic systems he creates, the memorable characters and interesting stories. I amazed at how prolific a writer he is.I am an author every day for an hour during lunch. I actually began writing the Lemurian Chronicles in 1993, and after more than two decades of rewrites, editing, re-editing, etc... I finally decided my epic fantasy was ready for publishing. Don't worry; each additional installment will be released no more than eighteen months apart. I expect book II: Chaos Rising, to be available summer of 2016.

_________________________________

Book Excerpt:

Tellio let out a low whistle and rubbed his hand absently over his bald head. “Well, well,” he said. “Where do you suppose they’re from, Kivas?” Kivas, and everybody else in the company, looked in the direction of the big man’s gaze to see a group of tall, beautiful women. They wore far less clothing than other women Renn had seen—a loose skirt, reaching mid-thigh, a cropped, sleeveless top that left their stomachs bare, covered by a sheer, light weight gown that fell just below their knees; their bodies were young, strong, and well proportioned. Their skin was tan, their hair long and full, and their eyes were big—that was noticeable even at a distance. Renn felt himself blush slightly and quickly averted his eyes. He noticed, as he looked away, that Genea was practically glowering at the beautiful foreigners.

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” Everyone looked with surprise at Raven. Renn had almost forgotten the dark haired scout was still with them; he almost never spoke. Tellio hesitated for a moment then asked, “Why not?”

“Watch,” Raven replied as he pointed to a group of Nortian men who obviously had the same idea as Tellio, headed in the direction of the tall, captivating women. Like most Nortians, they were big men with unkempt, dark hair, and full black beards and no mustache. Four of them approached the scantily clad women, and although Renn couldn’t hear them for the crowd, he could tell that whatever the first man said to the women was not received very well. The three women didn’t even acknowledge the foul mouthed man. The big man who spoke grew red in the face, grabbed the nearest girl by the shoulder and swung her around. Tellio—and, oddly, Durham—started visibly at the aggression, and were about to shout across the throng of buyers at the overzealous Nortian, but their mouths dropped open in amazement before either could make a sound. As the Nortian swung the woman around, she let her arm arc with the momentum and hit him across the cheekbone with a knife hand strike. The man, shocked at the sudden attack, stumbled backward, then dropped to the ground as her bare foot came down on his knee.

“Great gods of light!” Kivas exclaimed, “If I didn’t see it I’d never believe it.” Tellio got a grin on his face, however, before he could tease Kivas about a Nortian being bested by a woman the man on the ground pulled himself up and drew his sword. Quick as a flash, the object of his attentions produced a small knife from underneath her light gown, and let it fly. The next thing Renn saw was the big Nortian grasping wildly at his neck as he fell, once again, to the ground.

The companions of the unfortunate man recovered quickly from their initial shock, and warily drew their own weapons. Before anything more happened, however, a small dispatch of city guards surrounded the foreigners and took them into custody.

“I see what you mean, Raven.” Tellio admitted.

Kivas asked, “Who were they?”

“You’re fellow countrymen, of course.” Sela Nadgit said, as he stopped his horse next to the front of the wagon that still carried Danu, Artio and Genea. Genea, Renn noticed, was now beaming with pride, whereas, a moment before she seemed upset at the strange women.

“I know who the men were, Sela, I want to know where those girls came from.”

It was Artio who answered, “Domeria. Probably from the jungle city of Tanith.”

Thursday, October 29, 2015

In the world of Altadas, there are no more human births. The
Regime is replacing the unborn with demons, while the Resistance is trying to
destroy a drug called Hope that the demons need to survive.

Between these two warring factions lies Jacob, a man who profits from smuggling
contraceptive amulets into the city of Blackout. He cares little about the
Great Iron War, but a chance capture, and an even more accidental rescue,
embroils him in a plot to starve the Regime from power.

When Hope is an enemy, Jacob finds it harder than he thought to remain
indifferent. When the Resistance opts to field its experimental landship, the
Hopebreaker, the world may find that one victory does not win a war.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

The walls crashed down and the soldiers stormed in,
replacing bricks with leather boots and stones with clenched fists. The
dissonance died down, but the dust hung for endless moments, dimming the light
and stinging the eyes. Yet Jacob did not need to see; he knew why they were
here, what they had come for.

A figure,
tall and broad, stepped into view, his hair and uniform as black as the long
shadow he cast across the room. His fists were not clasped, but the anger was
still there, pouring out of the cracks and crevices of his crooked face.
Everyone could recognise him, even in darkness—especially in darkness.
Everyone knew his name. Domas. Yet not everyone knew what he was.

“You are
accused of smuggling amulets,” Domas said. He paced to and fro restlessly,
until the very floor began to recognise him. The light from the oil lamp
flickered on his face, creating and killing lots of little shadows. Those
shadows made him look inhuman, but under any other light he looked like
everybody else. Jacob remembered when he was first told about them by his
father. They are like you and I. They walk among us.

“What
evidence do you have?” Jacob asked, hoping they would not search the bookcase,
hoping they would not scour his soul.

Jacob
parried Domas’ glower with his own. He felt like responding, like snapping or
biting, even though he knew it would not help. It would make him feel better
for the briefest of moments, and then, as the soldiers responded with their
fists, it would make him feel much worse. The words of his father haunted him
like a demon. In time they will replace us.

“Take him
to the Hold,” Domas barked to one of his commanders. He turned to leave, but
halted as something caught his eye. “Open your hand,” he ordered.

“It’s a bit
late to shake it.”

“Open your
hand,” Domas repeated. He did not need to give a warning. His tone gave enough.

Jacob offered his left hand, which was empty.

“A clown as
well as a smuggler,” Domas said. “Your other hand.”

Jacob reluctantly loosened his grip on the tiny bag of coils
he was holding, his all too meagre payment for smuggling an amulet into the
city. Domas snatched it from his grasp.

“You won’t
be needing this,” he said. “In the Hold, the rent is free.”

The soldiers seized Jacob and pulled him outside, where a
mechanised wagon waited, one of the many vehicles the Regime used to transport
its forces—and its prisoners.

In moments Jacob was hauled up and hurled into the back of
the warwagon, where he banged his head against the iron walls. He heard the
cogs and pistons start up, and he heard the roar of the furnace and the rhythm
of the wheels.

The smell of coal and smoke filled his nostrils and seeped
into his lungs, until finally he faded off into a halfway place between the
waking world and dreams, where he imagined what things might have been like if
the demons had not come here, if the Regime had not gained power.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bio:

Dean F. Wilson was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1987. He
started writing at age 11, when he began his first (unpublished) novel,
entitled The Power Source. He won a TAP Educational Award from Trinity College
Dublin for an early draft of The Call of Agon (then called Protos Mythos) in
2001.

He has published six novels to date, and is working on several others.

Dean also works as a journalist, primarily in the field of technology. He has
written for TechEye, Thinq, V3, VR-Zone, ITProPortal, TechRadar Pro, and The
Inquirer.

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

BLURB: The gauntlet is thrown. One must die. Refusal is not an option. Arthur the High King of Breatein has fallen captive of a longtime enemy, the Saxon warrior-princess Camilla, who lusts to avenge the death of her betrothed at Gyan’s hands and will stop at nothing, even the black arts, to achieve her goal. Because Gyan and Arthur have grown estranged, she fears that Arthur may side with Camilla and make her his new queen.To meet Camilla’s challenge, Gyan must face all her demons—public as well as private.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

EXCERPT:

The guard drew a long breath. “Your Majesty, it is time.”

Time to face all my demons, private as well as public.

At her nod, he returned to his post outside—a mite reluctantly, she observed.

“Any last advice?” she asked Merlin at the tent’s entrance. She barked a mirthless laugh. “How
does one fight a demon?”

“You must not forget your shield.”

She felt her eyebrows rise. “You know I am no novice warrior.”

“I am not talking of wood and metal, Your Majesty.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Excerpt from the graphic novel of The Challenge by Kim Iverson Headlee, forthcoming in full color Kindle and paperback editions. Art and storyboard copyright 2015 by Wendy Carey.

Kim Headlee lives on a farm in southwestern Virginia with her family, cats, goats, Great Pyrenees goat guards, and assorted wildlife. People and creatures come and go, but the cave and the 250-year-old house ruins—the latter having been occupied as recently as the mid-twentieth century—seem to be sticking around for a while yet.

Kim is a Seattle native and a direct descendent of twentieth-century Russian nobility. Her grandmother was a childhood friend of the doomed Grand Duchess Anastasia, and the romantic yet tragic story of how Babushka escaped Communist Russia with the aid of her American husband will most certainly one day fuel one of Kim’s novels. Another novel in the queue will involve her husband’s ancestor, the seventh-century proto-Viking king of the Swedish colony in Russia.

For the time being, however, Kim has plenty of work to do in creating her projected 8-book Arthurian series, The Dragon’s Dove Chronicles, and other novels clamoring for attention. She has been a published novelist since 1999, beginning with the original editions of Dawnflight (Sonnet Books, Simon & Schuster) and Liberty (writing as Kimberly Iverson, HQN Books, Harlequin).

Friday, October 23, 2015

Things aren't going
well for Mika. Engaged to a man she doesn't love and facing a future
she has no interest in, she's lost and alone. She's attending the
funeral of the only person who ever truly understood her (in the
company of her overbearing mother and fussy fiancé, no less!) when
she meets the man who will change her life forever.

Except,
well... he's not a man. He's the Devil. The real-life Devil.

Scary, right? But it
turns out the Devil has a choice for Mika. But it's not an ordinary
choice: Become Satan's bride and rule in Hell amongst the demons and
lost souls, or marry Nick and remain in the world of humans. Forget
love. This is a chance for the freshest start of all.

Brit
McGinnis' intriguing supernatural romance Romancing
Brimstone upends everything you may
have wondered about love, commitment, and the world beyond life and
death. Mika's not your average runaway bride. She's ready for a
change of scenery, and Satan himself may be the one to change her
heart.

----------------------------------------------------

So we had a chance to sit down with Mika and have a brief chat.....here you....

1.
Thanks for joining us! To start off, we have to say that you have quite
an unusual name. Can you tell us more about it? I'm happy to be here!
And yes, it's a Greek name that means "precious." I'm named after my
aunt Big Mika, who passed away a little while ago.

2. We're so sorry to hear that. You originally came from San Francisco, yes? Yeah, it's my hometown.

3. What's been the best place you've lived so far? I
stayed on the beach once, just sleeping right on the shore. I wasn't in
a good place in my life, but being in such a beautiful place at that
time was great. It was where I needed to be.

4. We've been told you're a big music fan. What's your favorite way to listen to music? Vinyl's
awesome, of course. But I refuse to get rid of my CD collection. And
finding actual cassette tapes makes me happy, because they're such a
different sound.

5. And what band's on your tape deck now? I'm
loving Scissor Sisters right now. But I recently bought a bunch of
tapes and vinyl by The Offspring, which is awesome. I never thought I'd
find them again.

6. It's so strange to hear about
Satan's wife being into Scissor Sisters. What do you say to people who
are surprised to learn that you're the queen of Hell? I say
I'm just as surprised as them! I honestly didn't ever expect to have a
role like this in my life. It didn't feel right for me to be here until
some of my power actually started to kick in. When the world or humanity
or whatever started giving me the power that came with being the queen
of Hell, it felt much more natural.

7. Do you ever regret leaving behind your humanity? Sometimes,
but I honestly can't think about that too often. I have no idea how my
life would have turned out had I stayed. All I know is that it felt
wrong to stay in my human life at that time.

8. Who do you love most? Big Mika, for sure. I love her and miss her every day.

9. What would you change most about yourself? Wow, that's really personal. I wish I was more clear about what I wanted. Most of the time I just start with what I don't want and work from that.

10. So what's next for you? More
traveling, hopefully! I'm trying to learn how to be in the moment more.
I'll probably take on or make a job of my own. But for right now,
traveling and bothering Satan are enough for me.

----------------------------------------------------

Author
Bio

Brit
McGinnis is an author based in Portland, Oregon. She writes
supernatural romance and occasionally speculative fiction. In her
previous life, she was an award-winning journalist and blogger. Her
next book Smugglers
is due out October 26th and is currently available for pre-order on
Smashwords.

Saturday, October 17, 2015

We here at Reading, Writing, and What Not just wanted to update you on things that are going on.

It has been quiet here and I am truly sorry for not being around. I have been reading some great books but I have not had time to get the reviews up like I need to be doing. I am getting things back on track though and getting us set up for some great cover reveals, media blitz sets and even a couple interviews. I am planning to get some reviews up as well, now that things feel like they are calming down for me.

That being said, if you have any great book suggestions, please let me know! I love to find new authors and new series to read. I have found some great free books for my Kindle that I have been lucky enough to read. I am going to get a couple reviews up this weekend for you all, after we have our family time. My husband and the evil monkey are taking me out to a hot air balloon glow event.

Again, I want to say that I am sorry we have been slacking here at Reading, Writing, and What Not.

Monday, September 14, 2015

So things have gotten a bit crazy with my real life job. It has been causing me to have long days and work overtime. Due to that for a while we are pulling back on the book tours and the reviews some. I have some books now that I need to get reviews out on, they were already finished prior to the craziness. For a while we will be cutting out tours to two a month, and we will be trying to get a couple cover reveals in there as well. I am just too swamped with the work thing and I am finding that I am not enjoying my reading as much because I have to hurry through the books to get a review out.

I am going get one book review out of the way right now. I have a few more to do from books I have previously read. I am hoping that we can get back on the review and tour track in a couple months, but with my job and the tiredness I feel when I get home, I will have to see how things are going.

This is a free romantic suspense book, the beginning of a romantic suspense series, although this book with this couple reads as a standalone.

Twenty-six year old Jen Mansko finds out the hard way that she's too trusting. Her apartment ransacked, her bank account emptied, and her heart broken, Jen has had enough and high-tails it to the only place she can think of where she will be welcomed – her brother's house.

Anxious for a fresh start, Jen does something completely out of character and decides to become a cop. Soon, the athletic beauty with the striking-pink locks captures the attention of Sergeant Hunter Foley. When she is vetted for an undercover assignment, Jen dares another feat and quickly wins the approval of the powers that be.

Once embedded in the covert operation, yet another unlikely suitor is drawn to her. With two men on opposite sides of the law vying for her attention, Jen is forced to make a choice or risk having all she's worked so hard for ripped away from her.

This is a spin-off of the Edge of the Heat Series. The characters from the Edge of the Heat will weave lightly in and out of the Unauthorized series.

This is a standalone novel, however, there is a cliffhanger at the end that involves the H/h of the next book.

Pros: Great characters, loved the storyCons: I want more ColetonOverall rating: Highly Recommended

Impressions: Great ideas, story flowed, characters are well developed

Review:

So I got this book as a free one from Amazon. I am so glad I grabbed it. I loved the whole idea and the characters were just right. You could tell that the author knew her characters well enough when she was writing. I have found that there are times when an author will have a series going and make a spin off that just doesn't work right. Not this time. This book is great!

I love that Jen is going through personal changes in this book. She is trusting and a bit naive but that all changes as you go. Don't get me wrong, it's not a massive character change. It's something little here and there for her. She grows through out the book and I love that. I think that she is a great lead female.

Let me just say, I want my own undercover cop now. Hunter is strong, and he has a good head on his shoulders. He keeps himself from getting involved with Jen, knowing it is wrong for him to do anything with her while they are working. He is a great male lead and plays off Jen wonderfully.

I am very excited to read the next one, and I was excited that the second book is on Kindle Unlimited. I have already picked it up and will be reading it soon!

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

Onnaleigh Moore is part of a plan—and it isn’t hers. When her brother dies in a car accident, Onna is desperate to preserve the tatters of her family. Any hope of finding normalcy vanishes when her mother runs off and her dad turns to booze to numb his pain. Onna’s grief is crippling, but the boy who showed up just when she needed him is helping her cope.Everett’s presence is comforting, though he knows things—Onna’s name just before they met, where she lives, and sometimes he comments on thoughts she doesn’t say aloud. Sh:e pegs him for a stalker, or maybe psychic, but the truth is deadlier than she imagines. As their feelings for one another deepen, Everett confesses a horrifying secret: Onna’s brother is only the beginning of the plan, and some fates are worse than death.

I am all about books that make me feel. This definitely did that for me. There were times when I could not stop the feels. Oh the feels, the feels. I think that when a book can make you feel and takes you through so many different emotions it is a good book. This falls into that category.

Onnaleigh, Onna, has been through so much. I think that if any one of us had been through as much as she has we would have fallen apart and never gotten the pieces put back together. She didn't do that though. Instead, she moved through each of her situations with the right actions. Sometimes I found her choices to be hard ones. I love that she knew what she needed to do to get herself where she needed to be, even if she had to push others away to do so.

This is one of the those books that makes you think, "Really, does she have to deal with so much all at once?" But as you go you see that it is all part of something else, something that I was not planning on. The supernatural aspect of this book is very intriguing and I can't wait to see what happens next.

Pros: Great Story, excellent characters

Cons: The feels were too much at times

Overall rating: Excellent book!

Impressions: Very emotional book, great ideas, great characters

Stars: 4 out of 5

----------------------------------------

About
the Author

Kacey
Vanderkarr is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance,
and sci-fi, complete with faeries, alternate realities, and the
occasional plasma gun. She’s known to be annoyingly optimistic and
listen to music at the highest decibel. When she’s not writing, she
coaches winterguard and works as a sonographer. Kacey lives in
Michigan, with her husband, son, and crazy cats. Along with her
novels, Reflection Pond and Antithesis, Kacey's short fiction can be
found in Sucker Literary Vol 3, and the upcoming Spark Vol 7, Ember:
A Journal of Luminous Things, and Out of the Green: Tales from
Fairyland.

After he rescues a mermaid from a sea
monster, Max Weiss falls into a world of pirate treasure, dolphin
whisperers,murderous mobsters and a forbidden
love.Troubles multiply in the
already-troubled life of Max Weiss after he rescues a mermaid from
the clutches of a seamonster. Drawn by the allure of the
enchanting mermaid, Azzaria, Max agrees to help her find her lost
mermaid sister. Max is pulled into a world of missing
drug money, pirate treasure, murderous mobsters, dolphin whisperers
and a forbidden love.

------------------------------

Review:

This was not something I would normally read. I am glad I read it though. It was a great book, and quick to read. It kept me engaged though, and that is a big thing. So many books are just so hard to get into.

I loved Max. I prefer the characters that have had to deal with the bad as well as the good. I think that it makes them easy to relate to when reading. We all want to be able to say, that could be me, if we lived in worlds with sea monsters and mermaids.

I think that I was bit put off by mermaid sex, but that is just me. It was well written, but I guess I pictured it differently in my head. Then again, I am not really sure what I was picturing in my head. That being said, I think that the main characters didn't bring the same emotions to other things that they brought to their sex life. I think that they were not as compatible as they should have been.

Pros: Great characters, great story

Cons: I wish it was longer, more fleshed out

Overall rating: I would recommend this one.

Impressions: Needs more fleshing out, make it longer, weird mermaid sex not to my taste.

Stars: 4 out of 5

------------------------------

AUTHOR BIO:

Spencer Dryden is a new writer, but an
old guy on the threshold of draining any reserves left in Medicare
andSocial Security.In real life he is a handyman, an
at-home dad, inventor and web videographer living a quiet life in the
frozentundra of Minnesota (USA). Like all writers he has a cat but they
don't get along well.

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

I am beginning to think that there are times I bite off more then I can chew, but it's all part of being an adult.

Book tour, here we go....

Description:

When the first wanderer—a common elf who isn’t authorized to use the portal—is
spotted on the streets of New Orleans, the king assigns Kameo Ryndel to capture
the elf and bring him home to Elvenrude. But before she can intervene, he's
shot and his body stolen by the gunmen. Just as puzzling is the appearance at
the scene of Seth Lormarc, an Elite elf from a rival guild and heir to the
centuries-old feud between their two families. Seth is in New Orleans at the behest of his grandfather to find out who was
behind the portal breach that could expose their existence to the world of men.
His best lead is the intriguing Kam Ryndel. When he stakes out her apartment
and finds her sneaking out in the middle of the night, dressed in black and
leaping to the top of the nearest building, he realizes she's more than a
beautiful woman. That kind of feat requires magic. Ancient magic. As their paths cross and draw them deeper into a mysterious conspiracy,
attraction sparks between them, but there’s little time for romance. The portal
breach is tied to an illegal smuggling operation that has come to the attention
of the human CIA. And the stakes are raised when Kam and Seth discover a band
of rebels deep inside Elvenrude that offers nothing except violence and destruction
of their world.

Review:

Let me just say that I love any story that brings elves into my world again. I love when an author triesto work with them. I just wish that each author would give us a back ground. This book is no exception, I want more history, more about how we got to where we are today in the book. I just like knowing how people got to be the way they are in the books I read.Kameo was a great character and I can't wait to see what comes next for her. I just wish we had a better love interest for her. I want my main characters to have a strong, good love interest. I know that there are bad boys, but they aren't the ones who leave me with a bad taste in my mouth. I am all about a good "bad" boy, but I got this feeling that Caleb is just not that kind of bad boy. I think that he will end up being a bad love interest.

I can't wait to see what will happen with the series. I think that since it is elves, we have so much we see being done. I know there are books out there with elves, but really no many that have the main story built off of them. They are just a part of a whole, not the central theme.

I think that Ally has got a great start to a series and she did it so well! It was not rushed and the build up of the love interest side was better then most books. I just hate when an author has her characters fall in love in like three pages, or 24 hours. (Which ever comes first.) I can't wait to see what she does next!

Pros: Elves! Smooth Story, great ideas

Cons: Some characters just didn't do it for me.

Overall rating: Definitely recommend it!

Impressions: Strong story, good ideas, ELVES!!!

Stars: 4 out of 5 stars

Excerpt:

Caleb nodded absently at the departing couple,
then returned his gaze to Kam. “I’m serious. It’s time you became more involved
with trade matters. In fact,” he paused, “you have several decisions you should
be making. When are you coming home?”

“I’m here now.” She clamped down on a spark of
anger. Why did every conversation with him lead into demands about the future?

“You know that isn’t what I meant.”

She stiffened. “It’s too soon for any long-term
decisions. I like where we are now.” A storm was gathering in his eyes, and she
took steps to head off a fight. The King's Harvest Ball was hardly the time or
place. She tilted her head and looked at him. “Are you about ready to leave?” A
diversion was in order before she lost her temper and said something she’d
regret. “I have to be back in the city by early morning, and I can think of
better things we could be doing.”

“More than ready.” His smile held a provocative
edge. “Shall we start our round of goodbyes?”

“I’m going to visit the ladies’ room, then I’ll
catch up with you.”

“Don’t be long.”

She ducked her head and hurried away, anxious
to get out of sight before he realized just how annoyed she was. She shoved the
door open into the hallway a little harder than was necessary and ran into a
solid body. She stumbled, throwing out her arms for balance.

A spark of unexpected awareness ran up her
arms, and she tried to shake off his grasp. He held tight until she was steady.
“No, but I know who you are.” She looked pointedly at his hands. “Take your
hands off me.”

“No problem.” He released her and stepped back,
a smile parting his lips. “Are you always so charming?”

She frowned at him, ready to give a sharp
retort, then hesitated, realizing how rude she’d been. “You’re quite right.
Mother would be appalled at my manners. Thank you for your assistance. Now, if
you’ll excuse me.”

“Certainly.” He moved to one side.

Her throat suddenly dry, Kam hurried past and
down the hall. Insufferable Lormarcs. She entered the powder room and took a
deep breath. The mirror revealed her heated cheeks, and she dipped a
handkerchief in the water basin to cool her face. Why had she reacted so
strongly, been so impolite? Was it the lazy smile he’d made little attempt to
hide or just her anger at Caleb spilling over onto the first male she saw?

Bio:

Ally Shields grew up in the Midwest along the
Mississippi River and currently resides near Des Moines. Writing has always
been a part of her life, but in 2009, after a career in law and juvenile
justice, she turned to full-time fiction writing. Her first urban fantasy
novel, Awakening the Fire (Guardian Witch Book One) was published in 2012 and
the seven book series was completed in 2015. She loves to travel in the US and
abroad and incorporates many of those settings into her books. Ms. Shields can
be contacted through her website or twitter (@ShieldsAlly).